Night Stalking
by Heart-of-the-Phoenix
Summary: Decisions - they shape life and time alike. But what if a different decision was made by a young dragon known to legend as Darkstalker, and how different could the future possibly become? (Warning: Spoilers from the story 'Darkstalker' within. Any feedback welcomed, though!)
1. Prologue

The moons shone brightly in the night sky; illumination breaching through the branches and leaves of the forest, dotting the land beneath. Slicing through the soft earth like a scar, a roaring river all but drowned out the frustrations of a single dragon. Slashing down with his claws, the dragon tore bark from one of the nearby trees in an attempt to vent his own irritation.

Clearsight. She had managed to convince him against his plan of revenge. She had managed to stop him from killing those wretched IceWings for tearing his family apart. She had managed to make him see imprisoning that wretch of a father would be better than making him tear his own stomach open - oh, how much he wanted to make that happen. How easily it would be, too; just a few simple words.

Lashing out with his tail, he heard the crunch of shattering rocks behind him. In her work, Clearsight had even managed to convince him to not crush that foolish queen, Vigilance, despite the assassin she had sent after him. Hah! The surprise in Quickdeath's eyes when the assassin's spear bounced off his scales. It was a pity that SeaWing managed to kill him first.

The dragon's thoughts trailed off as pain shot through his head - his claws digging deeply into the soft earth as he snapped his eyes shut from the pain. In his mind, he saw conflicting events. There was a land stained in red, and there was a land prosperous and vibrant. There were fallen dragons - friends and foes alike - and yet they were also there working together as one. There was a rocky tomb, and there was a wedding. There was war, and there was peace.

Words slipped into the dragon's mind, and before he could react, he hissed them aloud to no-one but himself. " _Beware the vigilant hand, beware the loss of vision. The icy night comes, claiming all in its grasp. Beware the gaze of frost and flame. Hope will shatter as purpose is found. The heir of the Scorching arises._ "

His eyes were open in an instant. What had happened? He knew he was just given a vision, and a prophecy. But this was not the first time he had seen the future, so why was there such pain with it this time? Growling under his breath, he let his vision focus as he glanced around the environment - his focus drifting from one point to another.

Shaking his hesitation off, the dragon turned suddenly. He did not yet know what this prophecy meant in full, but he would find out. He refused to let any other vision or prophecy tear his life even further apart than those wretches already had. Whatever was to happen, Darkstalker would be ready to face it. He had to be.


	2. Chapter 1

Darkstalker flew. Letting his own irritation all but fuel him, he let his gaze scan the surroundings. There was one person he knew of that held a stronger skill with future sight than he did. Where was Clearsight now? He hadn't seen her since near execution, when he stalked off into the forest. The fear she had in her eyes when he nearly killed Arctic…

He felt a pang of guilt as the memory slipped into his mind. He had been the cause of that fear, like it or not. But he should've been able to stop it! Why did she have to find that blasted enchantment he placed on her earrings? Things would've been perfectly fine if not for that.

All he had ever tried to do was make his friends happy. Was it such a bad thing; wanting them to have good thoughts about the future instead of always worrying about the dark futures Clearsight saw? Was it too much to want them to actually _enjoy_ his and Fathom's gifts?

When he enchanted Arctic to obey his commands, they looked at him like he was some sort of monster. So why if he enchanted a living being - if Arctic had thought of it himself, what would have happened to his sister? They should have been glad it was Darkstalker who thought of it first, and that he used it to heroically save the enchanted Whiteout. If Arctic considered that possibility first, would it even have been possible to free her?

As soon as he had the thought, Darkstalker shook it off. Of course he could've saved Whiteout. If he put his mind to it, there was nothing he couldn't accomplish. Frowning slightly, he thoughts drifted to Clearsight once more. Where was she?

Reaching out, he tried to grasp for some semblance of her thoughts as he flew. Darkstalker couldn't help but feel a slight sting of guilt as he reached out for her mind - memories of the promise he made to never step into her thoughts flashing through his own mind - but he decided this cause was worth it. If he wanted to have some way to figure out this prophecy, he _needed_ her help.

Nothing, he could feel nothing no matter how far he reached out. He couldn't help but feel a flash of irritation, followed by guilt. Was she trying to keep her distance, fearful of what he might do next? Did she think he was the evil dragon now that she saw in her darker visions?

Growling once in frustration, he shook the thought off. If she truly thought that, then why did she try to talk him out of killing that traitor Arctic? She would've thought there was still some shred of good in him for her to try that, wouldn't she have? Unless… Was she just trying to buy time, trying to figure out a way to stop him?

Snapping once at himself, he let his own irritation roar internally. No, that was not Clearsight. Even if she didn't agree with his choices, she still believed there was a shred of good in him, even if she for some reason thought darkness was starting to cover everything. He just had to show her that shred she saw was more than just a shred. And he would, but first he had to find her.

As he flew, thoughts of the NightWings below resounded through his mind. ` _Arctic? A Traitor? I knew it!` `Never trust those IceWings - this entire war was their fault!` `If Arctic was a traitor, what about those children of his?`_ Feeling thoughts of the latter growing throughout the scattered NightWings below, he felt his irritation starting to rise again. He wasn't the traitor - that was his father, and his father alone!

As if helping to hold his anger back, he sensed another thought from a nearby ledge. _`Please let it have worked… If Darkstalker refrained from going out with his plan, that still means he has good in him, doesn't it?`_ Clearsight. He had found Clearsight.

* * *

The night was cool, a brisk breeze gently cast through the air. It was the kind of night Clearsight typically would have enjoyed - if her own thoughts weren't wrought with doubt and fear for the coming days, let alone weeks. Months. Years.

Darkstalker had lied. Not just a simple lie; somehow, he thought that enchanting Clearsight's earrings to block all out of the dangerous futures was a good idea. Not only did it mess with her sight, it threatened the entire tribe with the visions she had for the war. What else might he have enchanted?

So many of the visions she had now were of dark paths. She had managed to talk Darkstalker out of killing his father, so that still showed he had good within him - it showed he was still her Darkstalker. But could it last?

When Darkstalker enchanted Arctic into the Queen's former display prison, he showed restraint she hadn't seen in ages. He showed he was still capable of making the right decisions, still capable for good! But he still lied about so much, he acted like his friends were pieces in some sort of game.

Watching Darkstalker dart off into the forest following the imprisonment, she felt a desire to chase after him. Clearsight wanted so much to see that it was still him; not the monster with the twisted crown, killing dragons as simply as breathing. But in every future she could see, following Darkstalker would push him too far. He would claim she didn't trust him, and his paranoia would start to expand.

No, she couldn't risk it. She knew she needed to give him some space, despite how hard it was for her to do so. She just really, really hoped her talk worked; that it wasn't for nothing. If he refrained from executing Arctic, it meant he still had some good in him, didn't it?

Before she could get another thought out, she heard a dragon land just a short bit behind her. Turning to face the newcomer, she was greeted with an all too familiar voice. "Not back at the palace?" Darkstalker grunted quietly, raising an eyebrow.

"You know I couldn't," she sighed, shoulders drooping. "Not after earlier."

Darkstalker's next words caught her off-guard. After all the anger earlier, this was the last thing she expected. "Forget about earlier. We have more pressing concerns than some wretched dragon who can rot away in that prison for all I care. Just so long as Whiteout is kept well away from him. Right now, I need your help, Clearsight."

He was asking for help? Clearsight wasn't certain if she should be glad he wasn't trying to keep to himself like he did during his mother's disappearance, or if nervous about what precisely Darkstalker could be about to ask. She could only hope this wouldn't go badly.

Noticing her hesitance, she saw Darkstalker frown. Before she could clarify, however - he spoke. "When I was clearing my head, I had a vision. There were so many conflicting futures, all showing at once. Futures of peace, futures of war. They felt… imminent.

"Along with these visions, words came to me in the form of a prophecy. Unlike any time before, it felt like someone took a hammer and was trying to open my skull up, despite my enchantments. I don't know what to make of any of it!" Darkstalker finished with an irritated grunt, frustration evident on his features as he moved to sit down on the rocky surface.

Overall, Clearsight wasn't certain what to make of it, but a spike of irritation of her own slipped into her thoughts. First he try to block out any of her visions relating to dark futures, and now he wanted her help with it? As quickly as the irritation came, it was replaced with a pang of guilt. It wasn't right that Darkstalker tried to manipulate her, but at least now he was coming to ask for help. It was something, if nothing else.

"I'm not going to apologise for doing what I thought would help make the people I care about happier," Darkstalker grunted quietly. Had he read her mind, or was it just evident on her features? As she started to speak, however - he spoke up once more with a sigh. "But I'm sorry for going behind your back to do it."

Relief flooded through her as she heard Darkstalker's words. There was still some trace of her Darkstalker shrouded within the darkness. Perhaps even enough to pull back to the light? With a small smile, Clearsight wrapped her wings around Darkstalker. "Thank you."

Feeling him relax, she took a step back, examining the now weary looking dragon. "But, for now - what is this about a prophecy? I haven't seen anything yet, but I can try to look down the nearest possible futures to find some sort of clue about what you saw."

With a quiet nod, Darkstalker closed his eyes in thought for a brief moment. As he spoke, a shudder went down Clearstalker's spine. " _Beware the vigilant hand, beware the loss of vision. The icy night comes, claiming all in its grasp. Beware the gaze of frost and flame. Hope will shatter as purpose is found. The heir of the Scorching arises._ "

As he finished, a single vision of her own sparked through Clearsight's mind. A vision of a single dragon standing tall - the silhouette all that was visible. The dragon was perched on a mountain range, looking over the land below. In one eye, the dragon saw a barren waste, devoid of all life. In the other, the dragon saw a lush, vibrant land. Quietly, the dragon whispered in a rasping tone. "The end of one begins another anew. Let it come."


End file.
